LAFAYETTE -- Ryan Elementary fifth-graders recently started a unit on landforms by going on a scavenger hunt using Google Earth on their class iPads.

They used the devices easily, a few getting help from classmates if they needed it, and stayed happily engaged as they used clues to find 3D images of volcanoes, islands, canyons and other geographic features.

Ryan is one of three Boulder Valley schools participating in a pilot program with Impact on Education, a nonprofit organization that supports the school district. The program, now in its second year, focuses on using iPads to reinforce literacy, science and math skills.

In the first year, Impact provided 100 iPads at Ryan Elementary, Boulder's Foothill Elementary and Broomfield's Aspen Creek K-8 for use by about 400 students. Impact also provided training for 28 teachers at those schools on how to use the devices to support instruction.

This school year, Impact expanded the program to 38 teachers reaching 1,000 students at the three schools. Next school year, the plan is to add a fourth school and continue to expand the program at the other three schools.

The startup costs for the program so far are up to $280,000. Half comes from Impact, the other half from the Boulder Valley School District.

Impact is evaluating the program by sending end-of-unit science assessments from classes that use the iPads and those that don't to an independent group. Last school year, classes that used the iPads saw improved results in one of the two units compared.

"We know we're on to something," said Fran Ryan, CEO of Impact on Education.

The iPads are used in conjunction with the district's elementary science kits, which were updated to work with the technology. The district also is providing tech support. To significantly expand the program, it's likely the district would need to increase its WiFi capacity.

Fifth-graders Sam Chen, left, and Jamie Luna explore the Grand Canyon using Google Earth on an iPad at Ryan Elementary School in Lafayette on Jan. 16.
(
Greg Lindstrom
)

Teachers in the program participate in monthly professional development training and receive direct classroom support. The iPads come loaded with 20 educational apps chosen out of hundreds by the program manager, who's a licensed teacher.

"Just handing a teacher an iPad without professional development is meaningless," Ryan said. "Professional development is the key."

Teachers at Ryan Elementary also receive help from fellows in the University of Colorado's "GK-12" program, which sends graduate and undergraduate science students to teach lessons in Boulder Valley classrooms.

Ryan third-grade teacher Chris Hamlyn said she likes the way the iPads encourage students to troubleshoot and collaborate.

In her class last week, they used a cartoon app to draw pictures for stories they wrote based on fairytales. Once they had pictures, they added music and then read their story out loud into the iPad. The app turned everything into a digital story with animated pictures.

Students using the devices at Ryan were thrilled with the technology, saying they liked the "coolness" factor and the ease with which they could create projects. Teachers report that even the students who aren't usually engaged in class are eager to participate when the iPads come out.

"They're awesome," said third-grader Olivia Holmes as she worked on animating a story about arctic bunnies. "You can use them with your learning."

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